Baileys Harbor -

In the next three years,a $2.6 million grant from the EPA will help make beaches along Lake Michigan cleaner and safer.

As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative,a little less than half of that moneywill fund the work of UW-Oshkosh Biology students.

A group of UW-Oshosh biologystudents has spent the summer in Door County studying and grooming beaches that show signs of high bacteria levels.

The beach at Anclam Park in Baileys Harbor is one of eight beaches that students will redesign with the help of the $2.6 million grant.

The students' goal is to improve the state of the beaches and the water quality of Lake Michigan.

"To have people and their kids to come here and have fun and play, it's good to know that I had a part in them being safe," Tony Klebs, UW-Oshkosh biology student.

Right now, students are testing the sand and water at the lake. They say they'll be able to know the lake's E. coli levels in about 24 hoursafter takinga smalljar sample.

Professor Greg Kleinheinz says contamination atthe Door County beach comes from stormwater runoff.

"The mitigation plans that are being developed right now will help solve those stormwater problems, keep beaches open, and make the beaches more aesthetically pleasing and a place that people want to bring their families to the beaches. More people at the beach has been equated to $45 per person per day," said Kleinheinz.

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EPA Grant Helps Restore Lake Michigan Beaches